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william19881 on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 6:29:41 AM
A study of 6,500 participants in the 1970 British Birth Cohort Study found that 10-year-olds with lower self esteem tended to be fatter as adults.
The affect was particularly true for girls, researchers from King's College London reporteddunk contest.
One obesity expert said the results highlighted that early intervention was key to tackling obesitynike sb.
Professor David Collier, King's College London
The children had their weight and height measured by a nurse at the age of 10 and they self-reported when they were 30nike dunk sb.
Their emotional states were also noted, the researchers reported in the journal BMC Medicine.
Children with a lower self-esteem, those who felt less in control of their lives, and those who worried often were more likely to gain weight over the next 20 years, the results showed.
Professor David Collier, who led the research, said: "What's novel about this study is that obesity has been regarded as a medical metabolic disorder - what we've found is that emotional problems are a risk factor for obesity.
"This is not about people with deep psychological problems, all the anxiety and low self-esteem were within the normal range."